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00:00ROGER, WELCOME. YOU ARE SPEAKING LATER AT THE BUSINESS WEEK DESIGN CONFERENCE. ROGER: YES. BRAD: HOW MUCH OF THIS IS LIP SERVICE AND HOW MUCH OUR BUSINESSES TAKING ATTENTION? ROGER: I THINK IT'S A BIT OF BOTH. COMPANIES LIKE LET GO AND PNG -- LEGO AND PNG, I SEE THEM DOING GREAT THINGS WITH DESIGN. BRAD: YOU ARE SPEAKING WITH TIM BROWN FROM IV OH. TALK ABOUT THE WORK YOU ARE DOING? ROGER: WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM STRICTLY PRODUCT DESIGN. THE DESIGN OF LARGE SYSTEMS STRATEGIES. I THINK THAT'S WHERE THERE IS THE GREATEST PROMISE FOR DESIGN. WE ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN HOW WE CAN USE THOSE PRINCIPLES TO CREATE BETTER GOVERNMENT POLICY, FOR EXAMPLE. SO, THAT IS THIS SORT OF THING WE'RE WORKING ON. PRESS: WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DESIGNING PRODUCTS, WE USUALLY THINK OF IT AS A TALENT. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DESIGNING STRATEGY, HOW MUCH HIS TALENT AND HOW MUCH IS A SKILL THAT CAN BE LEARNED? ROGER: I THINK IT IS A SKILL THAT CAN BE LEARNED. I THINK BOTH IN TIM BROWN WOULD SAY THAT. I AM NOT SURE I'M A GREAT DESIGNER, BUT I WORKED AT IT FOR YEARS AND YEARS. IT IS A 10,000 HOURS. I THINK THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS WHO THINK THEY ARE NOT CREATIVE, AND I DO NOT THINK THERE IS ANY NONCREATIVE PERSON OUT THERE. BRAD: YOU CO-AUTHORED A BOOK "PLAYING TO WIN." MAYBE TALK ABOUT HOW DESIGN STRATEGY COMES INTO PLAY AT A COMPANY LIKE PROCTER & GAMBLE. ROGER: HE SAID WE WILL MAKE DESIGN A KEY ELEMENT OF OUR SUCCESS AND CREATE A DESIGN FUNCTION. IN A LOT OF THE GREAT THINGS THEY DID IN THAT ERA WAS THE TOTAL REVAMP OF OIL OF OLE -- OIL OF OLA Y TURNING IT FROM A SMALL, BORING BUSINESS INTO A $2.5 BILLION JUGGERNAUT. BRAD: WHO ELSE STANDS OUT WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGNING BUSINESS STRATEGY? ROGER: I REALLY DO LIKE LEGO. THINGS LIKE THE FRIENDS LINE FOR GIRLS, A GREAT PRODUCT. STEELCASE, THE FURNITURE COMPANY. THEY ARE INTO DESIGNING ENVIRONMENTS. OUT TO FOSTER PRODUCTIVITY AND HAPPINESS IN THE WORKERS. THOSE ARE A COUPLE. BRAD: YOU HAD AN INTERESTING ARTICLE IN THE HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW RECENTLY. TALKING ABOUT THE FEAR-BASED STRATEGY WERE COMPANIES TRY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE AND REACT. TALK ABOUT THE MISTAKES COMPANIES MAKE. ROGER: I THINK MOST COMPANIES SEE STRATEGY IS AN ANALYTICAL EXERCISE. VERY ANALYTICALLY -ORIENTED NUMBER CRUNCHERS. I THINK IT'S MUCH MORE OF A PROCESS WHERE IF YOU TAKE THE DATA AND EXTRAPOLATED FORWARD, YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO DO ANYTHING. A IF YOUR TURN TO PREDICT THE FUTURE, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE FUTURE. STEVE JOBS, I LIKE TIM, TOO. HE SAID, WE CAN MAKE THE FUTURE. I THINK THAT IS WHERE GREATNESS COMES FROM. NOT JUST ACCEPTING WHERE THE INDUSTRY IS GOING. SAYING, NO NO, THERE IS A FUTURE WE CAN CREATE. I THINK DESIGN HAS A LOT TO DO

The Importance of Design in Business

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